We Grew Up Together - Phan
by literal-llamas
Summary: AU in which Dan and Phil met when they were young. This fluffy fic follows them as they slowly grown on each other.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't want to work with Dan. He's got the lowest score in the class, and I have the highest. I don't care what Mrs Watts thinks, I can't teach anyone as hopeless as him anything. I swear he almost tripped on his way over here. My seat is like four feet away, seriously? Ugh. Does he have to sit so close? I know we're sharing a table but still..._

**Oh god, I'm working with Phil? Crap. He's such a swot, and I know he detests me. Look at him. He sits with his back perfectly straight, although he's obviously not, and he just looks so arrogant all the time. "Oh, I got the highest score in the class? I'm sure Grandmummy Elizabeth will be proud. Perhaps she'll let me pet her corgis. Look at that, my score was almost as high as my pinky! Oh ho ho!" Yeah, shut up. Ugh. **

"Dan."

"Phil."

The two boys glared at each other as aggressively as they could without the teacher noticing and scolding them both.

After they dropped eye contact to listen to the teacher, Dan was the first to speak. Phil's mouth was clenched in posh fury.

"So."

Phil scrunched his nose disapprovingly and wrote something down. Dan suddenly realised that he'd sat on the wrong side of the boy, and if they wrote at the same time, their elbows would be fighting Hunger Games style. He'd just have to not write anything. Phil seemed like the sort of person who just did all the work without saying anything then complained when you didn't help.

"So um... We're working together-" Dan started, hoping he could nicely ask Phil to do the work.

"Oh, you noticed? It's not like you to pay attention to anything other than your daydreams." Phil snaps without looking up. It's then that Dan notices that Phil doesn't sound very posh at all. Actually, he sounds really Northern-y. Maybe he was posh in the North. What if he was royalty or something, and that's why he acts so posh. That was probably why he moved to London, so he could meet more of his huge family. He was probably 31st in line for the throne or something-

"I told you, all you do is daydream. You need to help me!" Phil chided, before adding "Not that I need your help. But you can't just sit there and do nothing; you'll make me look bad. At least open the textbook and look like you're doing something."

"Who put you in charge?" Dan snarled.

"If you were in charge, all hell would break loose in the classroom. And we can't have that; the classroom has to be tidy for writing in Literacy or we'll never focus!" Dan rolled his eyes and flipped the textbook open. He could honestly say that he had no idea what the book was going on about, but he was also pretty sure that it wasn't really a book. Real books are captivating, and you read for what feels like five minutes but then the book's finished and you need to wake up in two hours. That's a real book. Not this stupid 'Science is Magic!' thing, where you read one paragraph and it feels like bedtime.

"This is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter..." Dan couldn't help but mumble. He saw Phil twitch from the corner of his eye.

"Harry Potter?"

"Mhm."

"You like Harry Potter?"

"Mhm."

"Oh. Me too."

Dan and Phil glanced at each other before simultaneously turning away. They were both the last person each of them would ever go to to talk about their passions. Especially the ones that are considered uncool.


	2. Chapter 2

Phil looked distraught. Which was really just the same look he'd had on his face ever since they got back from the half-term holiday. Although he didn't like Phil much, and they weren't friends, Dan felt really sorry for the kid. He looked like the reason for his sorrow was more than spilling his caviar on the floor.

After a short debate with himself, Dan decided it would be best to go over.

"Hi." Dan said, placing himself on the edge of the bench Phil was hunched over on. He was distanced enough so that he wouldn't look too creepy, but not so far away that he was acting as though Phil had the plague. Maybe that was it. He'd caught the plague. Maybe that was why he had hidden himself behind the school building in the little area that people only ever really went to to smoke.

Phil pushed his fringe back with force, rubbing his face in the process. It was a thing that people did a lot when they'd been crying or something, and Dan never really understood it. Wouldn't your eyes just water more?

"What do you want?" Phil mumbled, straightening up a bit more, but still leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and definitely not looking Dan in the eye.

"I just... I don't know..."

"You must have wanted something! What, you want me to do your homework? Answer a maths question? Just leave me alone!" Phil roared, trying to hide the crack in his voice. Dan was taken aback, with no clue what had just happened.

"Phil, calm down, I just-"

"Calm down? I'll just calm down, won't I, and everything will be fine, because what can't be solved with some slow breaths and happy thoughts? There are a lot of things-"

"Phil! Calm down- Uh, I mean-"

"No. What's wrong with me is none of your business, especially when I'm fine. So just shut up and get lost. I can't be bothered." Phil muttered.

"Phil, stop being so stuck up and just accept the fact that I don't want you to be sad."

"I'm not sad!"

"Phil, you're not fooling anyone, so suck up your pride and tell me what's wrong!"

After admitting defeat, Phil's mouth opened and closed a few times when he was about to speak then didn't. He looked like a goldfish, which Dan tried to pretend wasn't hilarious.

After forever, Phil looked at Dan in the eye. "My dad-" he whispered coarsely, cut off by a break in his voice.

Dan's mind threw fifty sentence endings around his brain. He could make a guess, but he needed to be sure.

"What happened?" Dan pressed, but kept his voice almost as low as Phil's had been.

Phil took a deep breath and bit his lip as he turned away to hide the tears gathering back in his eyes. "He... He died."

And then he lost it. He clenched his eyes shut and Dan watched as water spilled from his eyes and painted the ground. Phil was a silent crier, Dan noted. But to Dan, the silent cries were the most heart-wrenching, because someone crying silently was someone who couldn't stop.

"Phil, I..." Dan breathed. "I am so, so sorry."

He wasn't really sure what happened, but in a quick motion, Phil swung around and flung his arms around Dan, sobbing heavily into his shoulder. Having no idea how to react, Dan tentatively wrapped his arms around Phil too. After a short while, Phil sat back up.

"Sorry. I just- Sorry." Phil said sheepishly, starting to fiddle with his hands. "I don't usually- Ugh. Don't tell anyone about that." He almost laughed.

"I won't, trust me." Dan said equal parts jokingly and uncomfortably. The boys exchanged awkward glances before Dan nodded and got up. The bell was about to go anyway, and neither of the boys really wanted to walk back into class together.


	3. Chapter 3

"Phil! Hey, hey Phil!"

Phil's head swivelled around and he locked eyes with Dan, who was pushing through the small queue to greet him. "Hi! Enjoying the summer holiday?"

"I was, but then I saw you." Phil teased.

Dan was unsure whether Phil was being friendly or not and changed the subject. "So, what are you here to see?"

"The new Harry Potter film, same as all of the people you just pushed in front of. I mean, there's not that many of them, you could have waited." Phil was definitely joking here, and Dan laughed along with a shrug. "Come on, it won't affect you if I cut in here. If anything, you'll have company."

"That's mean though. All of these people have to wait longer if you push in." Phil looked behind him then back at Dan, his blue eyes gleaming. "But I'll let it slide this once."

Dan grinned his thanks as he evaluated Phil's new demeanour. The last real conversation the two had, he was an emotional wreck, and all conversations leading up to that, he had been bitter and resentful towards Dan, which of course, he had mirrored in his responses. Recalling the trauma Phil had experienced maybe about six months ago, it was amazing how his personality had morphed. Almost too amazing. But if it meant they stopped hating each other for no reason, both of them were better off.

"So..."

"You say 'so' a lot." Phil stated.

"You're correct." Dan smirked. "It's easier than knowing exactly what to say every time you open your mouth."

Phil smiled, and Dan smiled too. Smiles were fun. Phil had a sweet smile, while Dan's was cheekier, but although their smiles were different, they were both boys who had a particular taste for popcorn, so they split the price and ordered a large tub to share, since they were going to end up with seats next to each other anyway. The man at the counter seemed to be dubious about whether two skinny 13-year-olds could finish the whole giant tub of popcorn, but Dan and Phil knew they wouldn't have any trouble at all.

When the film was over, both of them had red eyes.

Phil had cried during the film, and Dan had remembered how he was crying behind the school. The tears he'd just shed were good tears, passionate tears, the tears that happen when you're so enthusiastic about something important to you that you go sort of numb and the tears just come. Those tears are much better than the tears that happen when you go numb because you're upset, deeply, truly upset, the kind of upset that causes your brain to go dark. That's the worst kind of tears, and hopefully, Dan would never have to see Phil cry those tears again.


	4. Chapter 4

"Homework."

"Homework."

"Homework."

"...So..."

As usual, Dan had no clue what had happened in class, so he also had no idea how he ended up in the library to work with Phil on a homework project. He also wasn't entirely sure what subject they were doing homework for. He thought it might be history, but it could have been geography too. The details were always a bit blurry to him. He was waiting for Phil to pick up the first book.

"'Everything You Need To Know About The Nazis'. That sounds helpful." Phil plucked the first book of what was likely to be many and placed it on the table in front of him. He looked at the cover, scanned the blurb, then opened it and looked at the contents page.

"You're so specific about books," Dan chuckled. "I usually just pick up one with a nice cover and read it to see if it's any good."

"I do that too, but only with fiction. When I have to study, etcetera, I look for things that are definitely associated with what I actually have to research. I know this will be of help because it has the word 'Nazi' on it." Phil said, scanning through the book.

"The cover rule applies here too though, because it has Hitler on the front." Dan pointed and Phil rolled his eyes. "Did you know that Hitler consumed up to 2 pounds of chocolate per day?"

"What?"

"I know! You wouldn't expect it with his perfect figure." Dan laughed as Phil pushed the book onto his hand playfully.

"Hey!"

"Hitler isn't funny!" Phil reprimanded, the corners of his mouth creeping upwards.

"Oh yeah? Do you know how proud he was of his moustache?"

"Dan, unless you have something about Hitler that we can put in the homework, I'm not really interested. I'd like to get this done-"

"He said that moustaches weren't fashionable, they'd become fashionable because he had one."

Phil smirked a bit before catching himself. "You can't prove that."

"Maybe not, but it's a good thought."

"Dan," Phil sighed. "I think you're forgetting how many innocent people Hitler killed. Maybe trying to defend his honour isn't the most appropriate thing in today's society."

Dan stuck his tongue out. "You're only 14 but sometimes you act like you're 30."

"And sometimes you act like you're 10." Phil said, hesitating before he stuck his tongue out too.

Dan scrunched up his nose and stuck his tongue out further as he leant over the desk, making stupid noises to emphasise how childish he was acting. Phil did the same, and their noises got progressively louder and louder until they heard someone shush them. Without thinking, Dan wiped his tongue on his hand and stuck it in Phil's face.

"Oh my _god_! What the hell- Oh my god, you tramp!" Phil retorted.

"Am I too much for you, posh boy?" Dan taunted.

"Posh? I think you're the posh one here! Have you ever listened to either of us speak?"

"Are you saying I sound posh?" Dan gasped.

"Are you saying I act posh?" Phil demanded.

Both boys looked at each other before bursting into giggles. "Yes. Absolutely." They both answered at the same time, causing them to laugh harder.

"Excuse me." A small yet stern voice called after a short while. "I'm going to have to ask you two to leave. You're being incredibly disruptive."

Phil quickly stopped laughing and apologised as Dan snorted trying to hold back his cackles. Phil glared at him, his blue eyes shooting ice right into him and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

"That was unsuccessful." Phil muttered.

"Whatever. We can go back tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

**_/Disclaimer thing: Dan and Phil are actual real people with actual real families, which I've recognised, so I'd like to stress that I don't think stuff about their families etc. Sorry_**_ .-.**/**_

"Phil! Ah, Phil, is that you? What are you doing here?"

Oh my god. The one time Phil decided to go to a party, he went to the same party as Dan, who was obviously someone with a proclivity for getting drunk.

"Hi, Dan. Yeah, it's me."

"Oh man, Phil, how you been? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Dan, school's only been off for ten days..."

"I know but, man. It seems like forever. I've missed you, man." Dan slurred. Phil could almost taste the liquor in his breath when he spoke to him. He tried to ignore it.

"Dan!" Someone called from by the stereo.

"Woah, that's me! Come on, Phil, someone's calling for my epic dance moves." Dan turned around just a bit too quickly for drunken Dan to handle and he tripped over his own foot, spilling some of his drink on the carpet. "Ah. Do you think they'll notice? This is my cousin's house, so I don't want to be dragged into cleaning it another time."

Phil just shrugged, and started devising an escape plan. He was dragged from his thoughts both mentally and physically when Dan grabbed his arm and pulled him to the other side of the room.

"Come on, Phil! Have some fun!"

_How do I avoid this?_ Phil thought to himself. "I can't, I-I need the bathroom." It was a feasible excuse, although admittedly, Phil had no idea where the bathroom was. He hoped no one noticed as he flung a closet door open and hid himself inside, pushing a box against the door in case anyone tried to get in.

He was safe from the noise and the drunks and the making out – For now, anyway. He regretted coming to the party in the first place, but his brother was going, and he wanted to keep an eye out for him. Like Dan appeared to be, Phil's brother was a little too enthusiastic about booze.

Phil, on the other hand, was not going to be starting the go-out-and-get-drunk-at-a-party-every-night fan club any time soon. He preferred his mind unclouded and his thoughts straight like the lines he walked. He didn't like being surrounded by people he barely knew either, but he couldn't see how anyone would find that enjoyable.

There was a thud, followed by a mumble of "The door's locked. Wait, this door doesn't lock."

Phil instantly recognised Dan's voice and moved the box away, exactly at the moment Dan had decided to throw his entire body weight into the door, sending him flying into the room.

"What are you doing? Get in, quick." Phil beckoned.

"Woah, what's got your panties in a twist? I'll come into your little den."

Phil was about to object and say it wasn't a den, but then he realised that it pretty much filled all the criteria for a den.

"I brought you a drink."

"What do you mean you brought me a drink?"

"Look, Phil. I may be pissed as hell, but I saw you come in here. Hiding from the party is an absolute giveaway to your soberness-"

"Sobriety."

"You wouldn't care if you were drunk."

"I don't want to be drunk."

"Just drink it, Phil. It tastes really nice, I promise."

Phil sighed and took a sip. It didn't taste nice at all, so he placed it to one side of him. He pushed the box back against the door, as Dan had now settled into a sitting position that was comfortable for him. Dan was very restless, Phil had noticed. Maybe he liked drinking to make his brain shut up for a bit.

"So, Phil." Dan said, patting a hand on the floor. "How ya been?"

"Um, I'm not sure what you're asking-"

"Just, whatever. How's life? How's your dog? Your guinea pig? Your grandmother? Your morning cereal? Whatever, I'm just making small talk."

"Right. Okay. Um..." Although his dad had been very fond of drinking, a trait passed on to his older brother, Phil and his mum had never had any idea concerning how to handle drunk people. However, Dan seemed pretty harmless when intoxicated.

"Well, I don't have any pets-"

"No! You should get a pet."

"My mum's allergic to most animals so-"

"Oh, that's a shame. Man," Dan reached over and patted his shoulder "It'll be okay."

"Okay. Um. What?" Phil asked, both confused and amused.

"I'm just really sorry. I'd let you borrow my dog but I think my dad would get pretty mad at me. I bet you'd like my dog." Dan said, shaking his head.

"I'm sure I would." Phil smiled, trying not to laugh too loudly. He knew that Dan wouldn't detect if he laughed slightly at him.

"Hey, Phil. I dunno if it's too personal, but like, you changed a lot."

"What do you mean?" Phil asked.

"I just mean that a few years ago you hated me and now we're drinking together."

"Well, you're drinking. I'm watching you drink for my amusement." Phil taunted.

"See? Bros. We're bros now. Come on, give me a bro hug."

"What?"

"Come on!"

Dan stretched his arm out and wrapped it around Phil's back, bringing him closer. Phil brought his arm out to copy, as he had no idea what was going on.

"Remember that other time when we hugged?"

"What?"

"You remember, when we were like 12 or something, and we hugged. Yeah. I didn't tell anyone. I mean," He took a drink from his bottle, "I just told you. But that's it."

"Yeah, I remember that." Phil nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going. He noticed a slight dryness in his mouth and drank too. The second taste was actually a bit better.

"What even happened then? I mean, you hated me."

"I only hated you because you hated me."

"Same, man. Same." Dan drawled. His character changed drastically when he was drunk. "But yeah, you were really upset. It was sad. I'm glad you're happier now. I don't get how you got happier after what happened, but I'm glad you did." Dan nodded as he spoke, pointing his fingers at Phil.

"I just sort of realised that I had to, you know, appreciate things, I guess?" Phil was starting to feel somewhat uncomfortable with the conversation topic, but he decided that Dan probably wouldn't remember any of it the next day. "I mean, my parents got divorced when I was little, so I was pretty used to being without my dad. He was really horrible to my mum sometimes, but when he was sober, he was alright, and he was really the only role model for me and my brother. I mean, I didn't take him as a role model, but my brother kinda did and... You know what? I'm going to shut up." Phil stopped himself mid sentence, coming to realise that he was explaining his life story to a guy he wasn't even that close to. They were friends, sure, but they weren't really best friends.

"Dude, it's fine. You can keep going." Dan assured.

"No. I'm okay. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, seriously." Dan paused. "So I guess that's why you're so uncomfortable with drunks?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, obviously, you've been raised to see the bad sides the drinking." Dan said slowly.

"That's a lot of thoughts from someone who's drunk."

Dan laughed. "I just get drunk from the party. Sitting in here, in the quiet... It's sort of eased away some of the drunk."

"Not all of it though." Phil joked.

"Oh, no, never all of it." The two laughed, unaware of what was even funny, but they liked laughing together.

"OI!" A voice boomed, followed by a bang on the door. "Let us in!"

"Ugh, no, do we have to?" Phil asked no one in particular, speaking under his breath.

"If we sit-" Dan cleared his throat before he continued speaking at a lower volume. "If we sit against the door then they won't be able to come in, right?"

"Probably not."

"Come on then."

The two shuffled over to the door and pressed their backs against the wood. Phil looked nervous, while Dan looked thrilled. Neither really had any reason to feel the way they did. After the people (A girl and a boy wanting somewhere private, it seemed) had gone, Phil breathed out heavily and Dan started complaining about the dark.

"You know, they should really get a light in here." He said, looking at the ceiling.

"I don't think people are supposed to be in here. Be thankful it's big enough for both of us to sit on the floor, never mind the fact that it's dark." Phil said, as he realised that Dan was resting on his shoulder.

"It sets the mood though?"

"What mood?"

"Well I'm sure those two people like the dark because they can't see each other's ugly faces when they eat them." Dan said, waving his hand in the air to accompany his sentence.

"Are you suggesting that you want to eat my face?" Phil joked.

"I said ugly faces." Dan said, changing his position so that he was lying with his head on Phil's leg. Phil rolled his eyes.

"You know what Phil?"

"What?"

"I think we have chemistry." It wasn't long until Dan was snoring gently, and Phil was breathing at the same rate. Soon, he caught himself slipping too. It was going to be awkward when they both woke up, but he didn't care.


End file.
